Photographer's Note

Pivnice U Hrocha, Thunovská, Malá Strana, Praha. I think that translates as the Hippo Pub.
Come to think of it my last posting was also of a pub: I hope you won't all be getting the right idea!
Claude (Clodo) issued us all a challenge to post our street photographs, and although I certainly couldn't begin to compete with him, I do like the genre, and so am happy to take him up on it once in a while.
U Hrocha when I visited it was a dark, unspoilt traditional hostelry selling one beer (I think it was Staropramen) and one menu item (meat and potatoes, not good for a vegetarian!). It certainly wasn't on the tourist trail, but I was able to spend a pleasant hour sitting in a corner watching the locals.
Taken on a little Nikon bridge camera, before I had really made the change to digital: I was still using the Canon T90 most of the time.

hello Will Nice street shot from Mala Strana. This pub seems in rather dilapidated state, anyway from outside. Good timing with the man going. What I found funny here. As maybe you know, Czech and Polish language are similar and many people think they can understand easily. But there are many traps. hroch is similar to Polish groch but it means hippo, strange.

Hello Will,
I only visited Prague once, very long ago before the city was on the tourist trail at all, but I enjoyed the pubs and their "nourishing" food and beer. This B&W version suits the atmosphere I felt in those days. I like the contrasts of this photo, the tight cropping, the diagonal made by the steep street and the inclusion of a person walking by.
Kind regards,
Gert

Hi Will,
I was in Prague twice few years ago but unfortunately I did not take any pics there by myself. So, here at the TE it is always a pleasure to see some shots from this beautiful old town like this one. The b&w version looks great and presented perfectly textures and strong contrast of the facade. Well seen and taken. TFS!

thank you to take part of the challenge!
The b&w mood suits well this old pub, and the lonely walker gives the impression of leaving it, not being satisfied by the menu and beer.
happy new year, and I hope to see you early june!
Cheers
CLODO

Hi Will,
yes, I am getting that "right" idea... besides the previous photo I also remember commenting on the sad eyes of the Basketmaker guy and I think there were more of them...
Just kidding. Excellent black and white documentary of course. Isn't an uphill climb a bit of a strain after several pints and a meat course?
Cheers!

Hi Will,i'm just been in Prague but i haven't see this pub,if it stil exist ..ehehe....an old pic but a very artistic one,i like the black anc white so well exposed and contrasted and the perspective too.Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

Hi Will
I do like this a lot. I am not a good street photographer myself, so always appreciate others work, and there is a very real and gritty sense to this scene. The sense of uphill motion is superb, and that looks a fairly steep path. The black and white conversion is perfectly done, and has lots of excellent tones, while the doorway into the pub looks ever so slightly spooky. Nicely done!
All the best
Noel

Hello Will,
Great B&W capture on that bridge camera. You have presented here the qualities of a film B&W that to me is not easy to achieve in a digital image. Very nice contrast, textures and tonal range. Great composition.
Best regards,
Trevor

hello,
an interesting frame here. Like the passing by man and the letters written on the wall. Like the dark tone a lot. Great idea to present in like this panoramic view and with greyscale. Excellent shot. Tfs.
S

Hello Will,
Beautiful presentation in monochrome. The photo has a certain old world charm just like this old pub. The rising cobbled path, the worn out walls, the arched entrance, pub name written in old age fonts all add up to the mood and you have done well to capture it. Nice one.
Regards,
Subho

Hi Will
love this! A big fan of monochrome, it makes images like this so arty and beautifully atmospheric. Your crop and presentation here are just wonderful and I cannot accuse you of oversaturation either ;-). Stunning shot Will - inspiring imagery!

Hi Will,
There is a timeless feeling over this picture with this B&W version. The pavement creates a fine diagonal and the silhouette of a man, struggling up the slope is a good inclusion.
Kind regards
Gunnar

I wish that you have pressed the shutter a fraction of a second later, so the subject would have appeared against the white part off the wall, being framed by the two windows, instead of "conflicting" with one of them (dark jacket against dark details of the window and interior.

That being said, this street shot is very attractive. Your post-processing haven't pushed the white, so the light you are describing is highly perceptible and brings a lot of character and a gloomy mood, which suits the location and the decaying personality of this area. I also like the ascendant diagonal, against the "grid-like" facade. There painted name of the bistro offers a sense of East European exoticism.

Hello Will,
I like this photo very much for its simple and well considered composition, for its balance and mystery. I like very much that the man walking briskly uphill doesn't give us many hints about his identity and that we have only this temporary context to associate him to. The textures and the monochrome are superb and the light seems to be graduating softly but effectively, playing with our attention and setting off the dark parts. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a lovely weekend,
Ourania

Hi Will,
A nice atmospheric black and white street image. I like the various details, such as the hand painted lettering and decaying walls and the little signs hanging up like in the old days. The man adds a good element of life and also makes us feel the steepness of the street that this place is located. It's nice to head off the tourist trail sometimes as you did, one gets to experience different things that form part of the culture.
Regards
Wanda

Hello Will,
I like the contrast in the b/w image here showing the detail in the old façade and textures in the pavement. The slope of the pavement also is a nice feature of the composition.
Best wishes, Ann

Hi Will
This is the sort of image that usually comes to my mind when people talk about the charms in the good old days. How you find this place and how you see the image in your mind, before you compose the camera, it's the mono version which really makes this image. Fantastic contrasts here - bright whites and dark darks- give it a furthered boost adding that extra depth to the textures on the wall especially. The guy is a nice touch makes the image special and life to the scene, it's definitely rustic situation so well shot, Congrats
Best regards

What a fine slice of life, Will! The monochrome treatment gives this image a dreamy timelessness, and I like the subtle metaphor of the uphill trudge!

I also laughed at your description of the menu -- I was not yet a vegetarian when I visited the Czech Republic in 1994, but even as a carnivore I got tired of the pork-and-potatoes onslaught. It got so bad that my travel partner and I stopped saying, "I'm hungry, wonder where we can find some food," and would simply say, "It's probably time for more pork and potatoes!"